The Best And Worst Things To Buy In October

October is a strange month for shopping, since we're now within a
stone's throw of the biggest shopping event of the year: Black
Friday. It's smart to to put off most purchases until the
attention-grabbing deals start flowing in next month.

But there are still notable sales that are unique to this fall
month. And in between sipping pumpkin-flavored drinks and
carefully planning the perfect costume for an upcoming Halloween
party, consumers are likely to do a bit of shopping. So we've
mined the extensive dealnews archives
of sales, coupons, and individual products from the past few
seasons to guide you in your quest for the most savvy purchases
in October. Here’s what we found.

Modest Costume Deals Before Halloween

Sure, the best time to buy a Halloween costume starts November 1.
But you'll still see decent sales on costumes the week before the
holiday, with numerous stores also offering stacking coupons to
sweeten the deal. For example, BuyCostumes offered a coupon that took an
extra 20% off items early in October last year, but mid-month (as
well as the week before the holiday), the store increased that
discount to an extra 30% off, which applied to a sale that took
up to 85% off. Look to The Children's Place, Diapers.com, Hot
Topic, and Joann Fabric, among others, for pre-holiday
discounts. Of course, don't wait too long, otherwise you'll have
to deal with expensive expedited shipping in order to receive
your getup in time.

After the holiday, shoppers can go pretty much anywhere and find
clearance sales that discount both costumes and decorations.
Unless you fear that you'll grow sick of the standard witches and
broomsticks, stock up on cheap decorations post-holiday and can
store them for next year. Expect discounts of 50% to 90% on
themed items.

No Hot Deals on Cold Weather Apparel

Although chilly weather has started to blanket some of the
country making winter apparel seems like a savvy investment, the
sharpest discounts on cold weather apparel and accessories won't come
until January. If you just can't wait until after the New Year,
you should at least try holding out until November for the best
deals. Around Black Friday a wealth of apparel retailers will
offer their best coupon of the year, which may take a full 50%
off or more — an excellent discount on current-season items.
Expect to see such a coupon from retailers like American Eagle, Aeropostale, Nautica, Abercrombie & Fitch, Express, Lands'
End, Dockers, Ann
Taylor, and more.

Deep Discounts on Denim

While September is a good time to find denim deals, so too is
October, as retailers continue to try to move the styles they'd
hoped to sell during Back to School season. Last year, we saw
Editors' Choice worthy discounts from Levi's, Lee
Jeans, Target via itsMossimo line, MNRKY,
and Armani Exchange. We also saw moderate sales
on jeans from retailers like Lucky Brand, Express,New
York & Company, American Eagle, and more. Just keep in
mind that you could potentially get as good or a better discount
on remaining denim styles by waiting for that aforementioned
Black Friday coupon.

Hold Off on New Electronics

We're so close to Black Friday that, if you can help it, you
should avoid buying electronics and new devices. There's of
course no guarantee that wish-listed electronics will see those famed
rock-bottom prices during Black Friday weekend, but across many
electronics categories, we see the best prices of the year in
November and especially around Black Friday weekend.

Most people are aware that this is a trend for TVs and budget
laptops, but select digital cameras, media players, and home
theater components could also see their best prices of the year
in just a few short weeks — before they're replaced by newer
models next year. We also recommend holding off on
most Apple products too; although the brand doesn't
exactly see "fire sale" prices on new items at any point during
the year, Black Friday weekend is a chance for resellers to make
some of their largest discounts on current-generation Apple
products.

No Hot Cookware Deals

In preparation for the biggest cooking holiday of the year, you
might want to round out the items missing from your cookware
collection. But wait until November and you could see about 25%
more cookware and appliance deals overall.
Even better, there will be double the number of Editors' Choice
offers as well, which of course means some of the best prices of
the year. In years past, you could get your mitts on discount
cookware, cutlery sets, bakeware, and small appliances from
stores like Macy's, Amazon, Sears, Oneida, Williams Sonoma, Kohl's,
and more. This uptick in high-caliber deals will continue into
December, albeit with a slight drop off.

End of Season Sales for Garden Plants

While dealnews tends to specialize in the things that make your
garden grow, rather than the things that are actually growing in
it, our research shows that October is a good month for investing
in shrubbery, floral bulbs, and other plants that have a shelf
life. According to LifeHacker, "If you have a cellar or other
area to store plants over the winter, you can jump in now and get these items very cheaply."

Get Auto Deals on Last Year's Models

Likewise, we certainly don't list cars on our site, but many
reliable sources state that October is a good month to get a
discount on a new car. New models are released in September, and
dealerships begin to get anxious to move cumbersome stock items
throughout September and October. According to Forbes, you can save 10% to 20% or more this month on a
new-to-you car. The car experts at Edmunds.com also
suggest buying a model that's "about to be discontinued or
redesigned." They warn though that these cars will
depreciate much faster than those that are newly released, so
this tactic is best suited to people looking for a long-haul
purchase.

No Power Savings on Big Appliances Yet

Conventional wisdom says to buy large appliances in September and
October, because this is when manufacturers like LG, Maytag, andWhirlpool debut their new models. However,
according to our archives, you'll see at least double the number
of Editors' Choice deals on these items in November. Moreover,
there will be more than twice as many deals in November that
discounting washers, dryers, vacuums, and the like from
department and home improvement stores.

HDTV Deals on High and Low End Sets Begin to Ramp Up

Traditionally, Black Friday is the best time to get
an HDTV deal, whether you're in the market for a
main set for your living room or an additional set for the
bedroom. That said, we're still a few weeks away from the main
event and if you simply can't wait, there are some deals to be
had today.

On the high-end side, we have seen 55" 3D LCD HDTVs hit a rock bottom price
of $949. Although it was a one-time deal in August, we wouldn't
be surprised to see this price-low again. Overall, for high-end
3D 55" TVs, look for prices between $949 and $999. If 3D is still
too expensive for your blood, off-brand 42" sets have been seeing
impressive lows as well. All summer we've seen prices on these
sets comfortably under $300. This includes sets from
manufacturers like Westinghouse, Seiki, and TLC. Rule of thumb:
Look for deals from $230 to $290.

Prices on Ivy Bridge Systems Continue to Drop;
Windows 8 on the Horizon

As tempting as they may seem, we recommend avoiding these hybrids
as they'll demand a premium price. In addition, many of them
could potentially suffer from first generation problems as they
are a new breed of laptops whose hardware mixes the ultrabook
with a tablet. Instead, we recommend looking for deals on Ivy
Bridge systems with very-capable 15" Core i5-based system with
prices ranging from $400 to about $450.